Cyrus Mahjoob was tasked with picking an outfit to represent what he wanted to be when he grew up. Despite his mother, Negin Mahjoob, offering assistance, Cyrus went alone to his room and returned wearing an all-white outfit, accompanied by a headband and his tennis racket. 

“I’m going to be a professional tennis player,” the five-year-old said, according to his mother.

Over 15 years later, Mahjoob is on his way to reaching that goal. The now-junior plays at the second singles slot for No. 49-ranked Northwestern, the school he transferred to after leaving Georgia last spring. Mahjoob also plays at second in doubles, where he and junior Ethan Schiffman rank 70th in the country.

Budding into a star

Though Mahjoob knew he wanted to be a tennis player, he didn’t shy away from embracing his multi-sport athleticism as a kid, Negin said. In her first conversation with Wildcats’ coach Arvid Swan, she explained Mahjoob’s athletic prowess. 

“Cyrus is a natural athlete,” she told The Daily. “He played all the sports until he was eight.”

Mahjoob continued to play a variety of sports after turning eight, when he was forced to choose which sports to focus on. He never struck out in six years of playing baseball, he was the “Dennis Rodman” on his basketball teams and was a year-round swimmer, Negin said.

Around the time he narrowed his sporting focus, Mahjoob and his sister, Setareh Mahjoob, began playing tennis at the Junior Tennis Championships Center. JTCC, located near Mahjoob’s hometown of Rockville, Md., became a second home for the tennis fanatic. 

He trained at the facility four days a week, mainly working with coach Asaf Yamin. Very early on, Yamin said he could see Mahjoob’s potential as a player, given his work ethic and passion. 

After playing in the program for five years, Yamin suggested that Mahjoob should play in an international tournament. The coach said he thought Mahjoob was ready since he already loved to compete, and Yamin wanted his player to gain some international exposure. 

“I felt that he was ready to make the transition from being a mommy’s boy to a big boy,” Yamin said about Mahjoob’s first international tournament, which took place in Jamaica. “It was good to throw him into deeper water and see how he could adjust, and he did great.”

After the first tournament, which he lost in the first round 0-6, 1-6, Negin said Mahjoob was ready to continue his tennis journey on his own. Her son would be gone for four weeks in a row, she said, travelling to play in tournaments in a variety of countries during the same trip. 

During his tournament career, Mahjoob peaked just outside of the top 100 in the ITF Junior Rankings. Yamin said his student had a “very good” junior career, which paved the way for Mahjoob’s time in college tennis. 

Finding his joy

Mahjoob’s independence carried over to where he would commit to play college tennis, originally at Michigan. Committing to play college tennis, a choice he made alone, was just the next step of his plan, he said. 

After the Wolverines’ head coach, Adam Steinberg, left for Florida the summer before Mahjoob’s freshman year, he flipped his commitment to Georgia, where he would play under esteemed coach Manuel Diaz. Diaz coached the Bulldogs for 36 years and is the all-time winningest coach in the SEC.

During his two seasons at Georgia, Mahjoob posted a 32-24 record in singles, playing predominantly at the bottom of the lineup. He accumulated a record of 14-15 in doubles, playing at the second and third slots. 

“The biggest thing I learned at Georgia was the importance of family and building a family-like community between the team,” Mahjoob said. “If you trust the guy next to you off the court, you’re going to trust him fully on the court, and you’re going to be competing even harder for each other.”

Though Mahjoob benefited from his time at Georgia, Negin noticed a change in his demeanor. Yamin said Mahjoob had a huge smile on his face whenever he would play, but Negin said it seemed “the life was taken out” of Mahjoob before he entered the transfer portal. 

After Mahjoob arrived at NU, the vibes seemed to shift for him on and off the court. He said the culture has been very welcoming and that it has been a lot of fun traveling with the team, describing his experience as “incredible.” The bonding with his teammates has spanned into academic settings, he added.

“Some of my favorite memories, believe it or not, are from going to the library with (my teammates),” Mahjoob said, acknowledging the “nerdiness” of the comment. “It’s those small conversations that let you learn about someone and help build the relationship.”

Mahjoob understands the quality of education at NU, he said, and how it sets him up for success beyond his tennis career. Negin added that she had seen his emphasis on academics throughout his life, explaining that she threatened to take away a day of training at JTCC if Mahjoob didn’t finish his homework or earned poor grades. 

He never wanted to miss practice, Negin said, so at a young age, he learned that academics came first. 

Pursuing his dream

With over a month of team tennis in the rearview, the ’Cats boast a record of 10-3, and Mahjoob has played an important role in those matches. 

He said he expected to be playing near the top of the lineup when he transferred into the program and knew he could make a “huge impact” on the team. 

Yamin said he understood Mahjoob’s spot on the team was an important reason for his transfer. 

“He really wanted to be more meaningful for the team, more of a leader, to have people rely on him because he thrives in those moments,” Yamin said. “He doesn’t shy away from pressure.”

In the spring season so far, Mahjoob boasts a record of 6-4 in singles, with all of his matches coming from the No. 1 or No. 2 positions. In doubles with Schiffman, the duo has posted a 5-2 record.

Mahjoob credits the team’s success to a strong community and everyone buying into the program, he said. He added that Swan and assistant coach Chema Carranza have a “good recipe” for success, which has allowed the team to build some momentum. 

There’s a lot of shared trust between him and the coaches, Mahjoob said, something he felt immediately after transferring. 

“The guy’s amazing, he’s an incredible leader,” Swan said after Sunday’s win over Denver. “He does everything right, he competes so hard and he’s a great example for the team of how to conduct themselves on and off the court.”

By the end of his time at NU, Mahjoob has several goals he wants to reach on and off the court, something he said he’s discussed extensively with Swan. The two of them have met more regularly to talk about this season, next summer, and beyond, which has strengthened their bond, he said.

With all the success Mahjoob has found as a junior and now in college, his top priority hasn’t wavered since he was 5 years old. 

“Everything I do is to put myself in the best position to play professional tennis,” Mahjoob said. 

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